Extensive literature, both in patents and otherwise, deals with construction and operation of a plasma gasifier to process a feed material of various kinds, including, for example, waste materials such as municipal solid waste (MSW), to produce a synthesis gas, or syngas. Such technology can be of major benefit both in terms of waste disposal and, also, conversion of the disposed waste to form syngas for use as a fuel.
Some examples of techniques for such purposes are contained, or referred to, in US published patent application 20100199557, Aug. 12, 2010, by Dighe et al., assigned to Alter Nrg Corp., and in Industrial Plasma Torch Systems, Westinghouse Plasma Corporation, Descriptive Bulletin 27-501, published in or by 2005, and all such descriptions are incorporated by reference herein.
In the present description “plasma gasifier reactor” and “PGR” are intended to refer to reactors of the same general type whether applied for gasification or vitrification, or both. Unless the context indicates otherwise, terms such as “gasifier” or “gasification” used herein can be understood to apply alternatively or additionally to “vitrifier” or “vitrification”, and vice versa.
Prior practices have a degree of successful operation that is continually desirable to improve upon.